Lid latch



P 7, 1966 M. c. BATES ETAL 3,275,363

LID LATCH Filed NOV. 5, 1964 FIG. 2a

INVENTOR5 CHARLES H.KING R C. BATES f 1%, ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,275,363 L11) LATCH Mortimer C. Bates and Charles H. King, both of Berkshire, N.Y. 13736 Filed Nov. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 408,537 9 Claims. (Cl. 292228) This invention relates to a lid latch, and more particularly to means for releasably securing a lid to the rim of a container. The invention is particularly useful for securing garbage can lids to garbage cans.

Unsecured garbage can lids are frequently undesirably released, by wind, for example, or by animals, so that the refuse is spilled and scattered. A variety of lid latches have been proposed in the prior art, but all of them have various disadvantages that the present invention is intended to overcome.

Many prior latches are satisfactory if the can is not overturned but are unsatisfactory in that accidental overturning of the can may release the lid, and in some cases damage the latch mechanism. Some latch mechanisms are inconvenient to use because they require the lid to be placed on the can at a particular angle for the lid to be able to lock. Some prior art latches are inconvenient to operate and require that a person use two hands in order to release-or close the lid, and with some devices it is easy to skin ones knuckles or pinch ones fingers. Various prior art latches are complex and expensive to fabricate, easily jammed, and useful only in a few sizes of cans and can lids. The installation of some prior latches requires the drilling of holes in the can and/ or the can lid. Some latches become inoperative if the can or can lid is slightly bent. Many latches must be atfixed to a lid or to a can in a substantially permanent manner, with the result that a perfectly-operable latch mechanism may have to be thrown away if the can or lid is worn out. Some prior art lid latches are easily befouled by snow or ice.

Many of the problems of prior art lid latches appear to result from the use in such latches of a portion of the can or the lid as a pivot point for a lever means which unlocks the lid. The present invention avoids many of the disadvantages of the prior art by provision of an inde pendent bearing surface so that operation of the lid is far less likely to be affected if the lid 'is bent, and so that the invention is readily adaptable to lids of many different depths.

It is a general object of the invention to overcome each of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the invention installed on a garbage can lid, with the lid in locked position on a garbage can which is only partially shown.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view taken through the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2a is a view taken at lines 22 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of certain parts of one latch assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fixed catch portion used with the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and show a conventional garbage can lid 3 See mounted atop a conventional garbage can 1. Lid 3 will be seen to comprise an annular top sheet having a depending flange or rim 4 which has a rolled lip or beaded edge 7 for purposes of rigidity and safety. A handle 5 is mounted on the top of lid 3. The main vessel or can 1 includes a cylindrical wall 8 having a rolled or otherwise flared lip 2 around the open top of the can. Can 1 includes a conventional closed bottom (not shown). While can 1 and lid 3 are illustrated in the form which sheet metal construction usually takes, such devices are also sometimes formed with plastic in equivalent shapes. Various lids are provided with depending flanges of varying depths.

As will be seen, the new lid latch may be easily installed on covers or lids having a wide range of depths, so that the invention is readily adaptable to many garbage cans and need not be made in numerous different sizes.

The interlocking of can 1 and lid 3 in accordance with the present invention is accomplished by two assemblies 10 and 20 which are mounted diametrically opposite each other on lid 3. Fixed catch assembly 10 comprises a U-shaped member, one form of which is shown in FIG. 4, having an inner leg 16 and an outer leg 14 joined by a bend 15.

Outer leg 14 is provided with a pair of holes 12, 12 threaded to receive bolts 19, 19 while inner leg 16 is similarly provided with threaded holes 12', 12'. Bolts 19 are adapted to detachably secure member 10 to flange 4 of lid 3 at a selected circumferential position on flange 4, with the points of bolts 19 biting into the outer surface of flange 4, so that the stiffness of U-shaped member 10 urges inner leg '16 tightly and fixedly against the inner surface of depending flange 4. Because atachment of member 10 to flange 4 does not require any particular spaced relation between member 10 and rim-7, and because bolts 19, 19 may bite into flange 4 at any desired vertical position, it will be seen that member 10 may easily be attached to lid 3 at any desired vertical location, and thus a single size for catch 10 is suitable for use on many different lids having diiferent depths.

It is advantageous to provide hook ends on both legs of catch member 10, with one end different from the other, and to provide tapped holes in both legs, so that member 10 may be reversed, if desired, from the position shown, thus alternatively using leg 14 as the inner leg andleg 16 as the outer leg. A given catch member 10 is then adaptable to an even greater number of lid sizes and shapes. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, leg 14 is provided with hook end 14a on outer leg 14 and if catch member 10 were reversed, and bolts 19 threaded into holes 12, end 14a would engage the lip of the can.

Inner leg 16 includes an inwardly-flaring hook end 18 for contacting the lip or bead2 of can 1 when catch 10 is fastened to lid 3 and lid 3 is seated atop the can to close the can.

When lid 3 is centered atop can 1 and sufficiently lowered, hook end 18 of member 10 jams beneath lip 2 of can 1, preventing the side of lid 3 adjacent member 10 from being raised.

Movable latch 20 is located circumferentially around flange 4 from catch 10, preferably diametrically opposite catch 10.

Movable latch 20 comprises an inner U-shaped bearing member 21 which is fixedly attached to flange 4 in substantially the same manner as fixed member 10, and a movable outer bearing member 25, which is slidably mounted on inner bearing member 21. Inner 'bearing member 21 includes an inner leg 22, a rounded bend portion 23 and an outer leg portion 24. Outer bearing member 25 includes an inner leg portion 26 having an end 27, a rounded bend portion 28, and an outer leg conforms to that of the lower surface of bend 23. A hole 33 is provided at the apex of bend 23, and a cooperating slot' or elongated hole 34 is provided at the;

apex of bend 28. Cotter pin 36, passing through holes 33 and 34, holds bend portions 23. and 28 adjacent each other and prevents relative motion between members 21 and 25 in a direction parallel to the axis of curvature through point A of the two bends, i.e., in a direction into or out of the plane of the paper as viewed in FIG. 2. Because hole 34 is elongated, h-owever, member25 is able to rotate about the axis of curvature, with the upper surface of bend 28 sliding against the lower. surface of bend 23.

Bolts 31 and 32 pass through two oversize unthreaded holes or elongated slots in outer leg 29 of member 25,

and compression springs 38, 39 act betweenthe heads of the bolts andleg 29, a washer ,(3-5, 35) being shown on each bolt between its associated spring and leg 29.

With bolts 31 and 32 tightened to clamp member 21 on depending lid flange 4, the bolts are fixed in position with respect to member 21 and flange 4. These boltsmay bite with flange 4 at any desired vertical position, in the same manner as bolts 19, 1 9 mentioned above. .The.

spring force acting between each bolt head and leg 29 will be seen to urge member 29 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, to an angular position where end27 of inner leg 26 engages wall 8 of the can. With end 27. pressing against wall 8 at a position below-lip 2 of can 1, it will be seen that lid 3may not be lifted.

more than a short distance before end 27 jams against lip 2, and hence that lid 3 cannot be removed from can 1. With handle 30 in a maximum counter-clockwise position, bolts 31 and 32, lie near the bottoms of the elongated slots in leg 29. e

In order to release the can lid, handle portion 30 is pulled upwardly and away from lid 3, causing outer member 2-5 to slide around bend 24, so that member rotates about the. axis of curvature, which is into the plane of FIG. 2 at point A of bends 23 and 28, causing end 27 to move toward the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2, so that it now may clear lip 2 of the can. Rotation of member 25 will be seen to move-end 27 so that the lid may be raised. Hook end 27 deviates from the longitudinal axis of leg 26 by angle a, so that end 27 in its Open position (27) folds over leg 22 just suflicientto touch rim 4, while hook 26 lies along leg 22.1

Further, the angle of deviation (a) of end 27 as well as its length are chosen so that end 27 will assume the dotted-line attitude (27') in'FIG. 2 when latch 20 is. moved into the open position. This presents'a stream -lined.engagement of lever 25 and theinner side of 4, facilitating the sliding of leg 26 over beadededge 2.2 Thus, when end 2 is tilted to engage rim 4 and lidq3- is raised, a relatively continuous wedge-likesurface is presented to slide smoothly over-lip 2 without catching. Now, lifting handle 30 will be seen to lift the righthand edge of lid 3:, and since an upward force applied to handle 30 will perform both lifting and rotation functions, it

will be seen that the lid may easily be opened with one hand. As the right-hand side of the lid is lifted, end 18 of fixed lock 10 will be seen to be tilted leftwardly, so

, that after lid 3 has been tilted counterclockwise a short distance, end 18 will clear lip 2, and the entire lid may be lifted upwardly, wholly free of the can. To replacev the lid, it merely need be placed atop can 1 and pushed downwardly, until ends 18 and 27 snap below lip 2.. Because ends 18 and 27 merely engage the can belowlip 2 and require no special attachments anywhere on the can itself, it will be appreciated that the lid requires no special angular orientation with respect to the can, assuming, of course, that lip 2 extends around the entire circumference of the can, as is conventional.

Rather than using two bolts and springs. on assembly 20 it is possible to use a single .bolt, but two spaced bolts are preferred, since they hold inner bearing mem-, ber 21 more tightly on flange 4 and do not allow it to. rock sidewise, i.e., leg 29 and legs 22 and .24 remain vertical so that end 27 remains fixed in a .deflnite relationship even in the presence of accidental forces.

The arrangement of the invention .is advantageous in' that movement of handle 30 toward the. lid does not .unlatch the lid, but to the. contrary tends to urge end 27 even more tightly against wall 8 of the .can. Hence, if the can is upset and falls with handlev 30 and leg 29 1 underneath the can, the force applied to :member. 25* cannot release lid 3,'but to the contrary, causes. lid. 3';

to be held on even more tightly.

Handle 30 beneficially bends toward lid 3, and if the can is knocked over onto member 25, the weight of the can and its contentsmay be suflicient to bend handle 30 in to where it strikes lid 3, but no farther.

lid at a distance such that urging the handle all the way toward the lid .until it strikes the lid will not result in permanent deformation. may befully compressed without being permanently de-.

' formed, and hence the latch is not mis-adjusted or damaged by extreme upward forces on handle 3.. Refuse collectors, standing on garbage trucks frequently throw garbage cans and lids to the ground froma consider-- able height, and it is an important feature of the present" invention that extremely roughihandling. of the can and of'l lid does not result in damage or, even nus-adjustment the :latch mechanism..

As mentioned above, release of the lid is accomplished, by an outward motion of handle 30 away from the. lid,

and hence-the operators fingers .cannotbe jammed be,: tween handle 30 and the lid, since no inward pressure on handle 30, nor any. manipulation whatever of handle 30 is necessary inorder to close the lid on the can and lock the lid.

It will be appreciated that" the lid latchj-is extremely,

simple and, economical to construct and requires only simple operations of punching, formingand tapping...

Furthermore, there are no critical adjustments necessary and the latch cannot get out of adjustment. ,The latch is. easy to operate even when "covered by snow or ice.,

Itiwill be seen that the latch assemblies may be quickly attached to and detached from a lid merely by tightening and loosening bolts 19, j 19 and31, 32, with no requirement that any'holes be drilledineither the lid .or the. can.: assembly may be readily transferred to another lid.

It will thus be seenthat the objects set forth above,- among those made apparent from the preceding de'-. scription, are efiiciently attained, and since, certain changes may be made inthe above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended.

that all matter containedor shown in the accompanying I drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 7

Having described our invention, what we claim ,as newand desire to secure by LettersPatentis:

1. A latching device for releasably' securing a lid having a circumferential depending flange to .a container 7 having an outwardly-extending rim, said device comprising, in combination: aU-shaped member fixedly attached to said flanges, said U-shaped member having two legs extending on opposite. sides of said flange and Because handle 30 cannot be pushed any farthergupsetting of the t can cannot result in handle 30 being moved far enough" to result in permanent deformation of any. of the parts of assembly 20. Thus handle ,30 is. spaced from the Compression springs 38, 39 1 And if the, lid or the can wears out, thelatch" a rounded portion passing around the edge of said flange and connecting said two legs of said member; a slidable member having an outer leg terminating in a handle portion, an inner leg having an end adapted to protrude beneath said rim, and a rounded portion intermediate said legs of said slidable member; fastening means for slidingly attaching said slidable member to said U-shaped member with said rounded portions of said two members slidably engaging each other; and spring means connected to bias said outer leg of said slidable member toward the outer leg of said U-shaped member, thereby urging said end of said inner leg of said slidable member beneath said rim to lock said lid on said container.

2. A latching device according to claim 1 having a hole in one of said members and an elongated slot in the other of said members, and in which said fastening means includes means extending through said hole and said slot to slidingly attach said members to each other.

3. A latching device according to claim 1 having a threaded hole through the outer leg of said U-shaped member, and screw means threaded through said hole to bear against said flange, thereby pressing said inner leg of said U-shaped member tightly against the inside of said flange and thereby locating said rounded portion of said U-shaped member radially outwardly from said flange.

4. A latching device according to claim 1 in which said outer leg of said slidable member extends inwardly past said rounded portion of said slidable member, thereby to locate said handle portion above said lid when said end of said inner leg of said slidable member is urged by said spring means beneath said rim to lock said lid on said container.

3. A latching device according to claim 1 having a second U-shaped member attached to said circumferential flange diametrically opposite said first U-shaped member, said second U-shaped member having two legs extending on opposite sides of said flange and an intermediate portion passing around the edge of said flange to interconnect said two legs of said second U-shaped member, the outer leg of said second U-shaped member having a threaded hole, and screw means threaded through said hole to bear against said flange and clamp the outer leg of said second U-shaped member against said flange, the inner leg of said second U-shaped member having an end adapted to protrude beneath said rim when said lid is lowered onto said container and adapted to clear said rim when the side of said lid carrying said first U-shaped member and said slidable member has been tilted upwardly a selected amount.

6. A latching device according to claim 1 having a threaded hole through the outer leg of said U-shaped member and an elongated slot in said outer leg of said slidable member, and in which said fastening means includes screw means passing through said slot and threaded through said threaded hole to bear against said flange, whereby the stiffness of said U-shaped member urges said inner leg of said U-shaped member tightly against the inside of said flange.

7. A latching device according to claim 3 in which said spring means comprises a compression spring connected to act between said screw means and said outer leg of said sldiable member.

8. A latching device for releasably securing a lid having a circumferential depending flange to a container having an outwardly-extending rim, said device comprising, in combination: a first U-shaped member fixedly attached to said flange with the two legs of said member on opposite sides of said flange, the inner leg of said member having an inwardly-extending hook portion adapted to protrude beneath said rim; a second U-shaped member fixedly attached to said flange and circumferentially spaced from said first member with the two legs of said second member on opposite sides of said flange, said second U-shaped member having a rounded portion connecting said two legs of said second member; a slidable member having an outer leg terminating in a handle portion, an inner leg having an end adapted to protrude beneath said rim, and a rounded portion intermediate said legs of said slidable member; fastening means for slidingly attaching said slidable member to said second U-shaped member with said rounded portions of said slidable member slidably engaging said rounded portion of said second member; and compression spring means connected to bias said outer leg of said slidable member toward one leg of said second U-shaped member, thereby urging said end of said inner leg of said slidable mem'ber beneath said rim to lock said lid on said container.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 in which said handle portion is spaced from said lid at a distance such that forcing said handle portion against said lid and thus forcing said inner leg of said slidable member against said container will not permanently deform said slidable member, said spring means or said flange of said container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,005 11/ 1893 Feeney 29225 8 X 1,164,724 12/1915 Kilrner 292207 X 1,639,870 8/1927 Valsvig 292288 X 2,531,859 11/1950 Mock 292228 X 2,974,990 3/1961 Mereness 292-288 3,158,393 11/1964 King 292288 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

R. E. MOORE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LATCHING DEVICE FOR RELEASING SECURING A LID HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL DEPENDING FLANGE TO A CONTAINER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY-EXTENDING RIM, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A U-SHAPED MEMBER FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO THE FLANGES, SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING TWO LEGS EXTENDING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FLANGE AND A ROUNDED PORTION PASSING AROUND THE EDGE OF SAID FLANGE AND CONNECTING SAID TWO LEGS OF SAID MEMBER; A SLIDABLE MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER LEG TERMINATING IN A HANDLE PORTION, AN INNER LEG HAVING AN END ADAPTED TO PROTRUDE BENEATH SAID RIM, AND A ROUNDED PORTION INTERMEDIATE SAID LEGS OF SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER; FASTENING MEANS FOR SLIDINGLY ATTACHING SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER TO SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER WITH SAID ROUNDED PORTIONS OF SAID TWO MEMBERS SLIDABLY ENGAGING EACH OTHER; AND SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO BE BIAS SAID OUTER LEG OF SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER TOWARD THE OUTER LEG OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER, THEREBY URGING SAID END OF SAID INNER LEG OF SAID SLIDABLE MEMBER BENEATH SAID RIM TO LOCK SAID LID ON SAID CONTAINER. 